And you thought the blog title referred to us

Wow, ever since we got our referral, I have been really negligent in updating this blog. I guess I've been waiting for more information so that I'd have something worth saying. But, there's not a lot more news coming, so the blog just sits. I know, though, that some of you are checking the blog regularly so I'm feeling a bit guilty. I'll try to be a bit better about putting something up regularly. Before you get too excited though, I'll warn you -- you may just end up reading the most boring blog entries ever.

DoT had a call from the travel agent looking after our arrangements, and it looks like we'll be traveling on June 28th, returning July 14th. The group doesn't need to be in China until June 30th/July 1st, but we want to go a couple of days early to get over the jet-lag before we get E and A. And we may be getting them as early as the day after we arrive. We should be getting our itinerary sometime this week. We'll keep you posted on that.

Our friends C and M have agreed to come along on the trip. They think they're coming for a holiday. Ha ha. DoT and I, on the other hand, know that they'll really just be busy changing diapers and feeding babies the whole time they're there. Just kidding, C and M. And it's too late to back out now. :-)

It looks like we will be flying into Beijing, and then flying from there to Jiangxi province, where we'll get the babies. Jiangxi is one of the more southern provinces, and we're told it will be really, really hot when we're there at the beginning of July. A couple of weeks ago DoT and I went into a store on Richmond Road that sells things from China. A Chinese couple own and run the store, and when we mentioned that we would be going to Jiangxi province at the beginning of July, the woman just said "oh, hot", and looked at us sympathetically. Heh. Should be an experience for we Canadians.

I've been doing a bit of searching on the web for photos of Jiangxi. There are a few, but none that make it look as amazing as the photos we've seen in a book loaned to us by K.N. who, with her husband, spent a year in China not long ago. I wish I could show you those pictures. It looks amazing. Lots of mountains, and rivers, and some really incredible sights.

Well, that's it for now. I'll try to update again soon.

Not a lot more news yet...

It's been over a week since I updated this blog, and in some ways it feels like months.

This week we will meet with our social worker and our doctor to review the information received in the referral, and then we have to have all our paperwork back to our agency by the end of the week. The referral file arrived on Wednesday of last week, and aside from medical information and a bit of information on the girls' early development, there's not much in it that we didn't already know. The only really new piece of information is that we now know they were abandoned when they were one day old, and have been in foster care since they were about a week old.

DoT* and I are really fortunate to have such wonderful friends. In the last week, lots of folks have come forward with offers of high chairs, car seats, exer-saucers, playpens, etc., etc. And lots of offers to babysit, which I'm sure I will happily take advantage of when we get back into Canada.

* The blogger previously known as 'E's dad' will now be DoT (dad of twins).

More photos...

So, Chris and I have decided that based on the footwear, the two single pictures in my earlier post are of the same twin. So, here are a few more.

Yikes! It's twins!!!!

Okay, so we're still recovering from the shock, so this post may be a bit incoherent. But I'll try to give all the details we have so far. And, most importantly, pictures of our twin daughters!

Twin #1:
Chinese Name: Le Ping Xi (pronounced 'le ping she')
Height: 62 cm
Weight: 6 kg
Birthdate: June 27, 2005
She is described as a deep sleeper (let's hope!), active and restless. She knows her name and turns her head when called. And she laughs out loud.

Twin #2:
Chinese Name: Le Ping Yue (pronounced 'le ping you')
Height, Weight, Birthdate are all the same as above.
She is also described as a deep sleeper (same comment as above!), active and restless. She too knows her name and turns her head when called. She also laughs out loud, and is described as "sometimes impatient". Hmmmm, taking after her mom already.

Pictures below. We don't have the file yet, so these photos were scanned and emailed to us. So, the quality may not be great. Don't ask us which twin is which.

Mom and dad are both doing fine (probably until it sinks in).

Oh, yeah. We're off now to try to come up with another name. And if any of you have a line on where we can get a second of everything we have or still need (crib, highchair, car seat, etc., etc.), let us know!

We've been matched!

Okay so today, just days after my mini-rant about the wait and timelines, the CCAA website was updated to say that files up to June 6, 2005 have been matched. Since we had a log-in date of May 31, 2005, that means we've been matched to a child. Wow. I was beginning to think the day would never come. And now it has.

Assuming the files were mailed out of China today, that means we may hear something this week. Otherwise it will be early next week. As soon as I have any info, I'll post again, and maybe even put up a picture.

It's gonna be a long week.

This is just a test to see if I can add images to this blog. This is a photo at the entrance of what will be the baby's room.

I'll take "referral date" for 1000, Alex.

All the talk this week, on the adoption blogs I check (several times a day!), has been about referrals -- what dates will be included and when will they come. Well, I'm no longer in the business of predictions. For the past three months anytime anyone asked (and let me tell you, I get the question at least 3 or 4 times a day) I would say we expected our referral at the end of the month. And we did. Every month. You'd think we'd learn.

So this month, I'm refusing to guess. Oh, I know... we should get our referral this month. But, we should have gotten our referral in February. And then in March. But fate, or China, or whoever, seems to be messing with me, and I'm not falling for it this month. So, if you are thinking about asking me if we have any news, don't. Or if you must, at least don't be surprised when I either a) snap your head off, or b) tell you we'll have our referral sometime between this week and Christmas of 2008.

This week I came across a site selling t-shirts and magnets and pins that said "No, still waiting. No, no news. YES, make it a double!" I think I'll adopt this as my personal mantra. At the very least, if I take to wearing the t-shirt or pin, it might cut down on The Question.